Florida execution: James Hitchcock executed after half a century on death row

James Hitchcock70, was executed Thursday evening in Florida by lethal injection, after spending almost half a century on death row for the murder of the thirteen year old Cynthia Driggershis niece-in-law, which occurred in 1976. The death sentence had been issued in 1977.

One of the longest detentions on US death row

Hitchcock, who always proclaimed his innocence, was declared dead at 6.12pm local (10:12 p.m. GMT) at Raiford State Prison, as confirmed by the Florida Department of Corrections. With nearly 50 years spent awaiting execution, his case represents one of the longest stints on death row in the United States.

Another execution the same day in Texas

His was not the only execution in the United States on Thursday: a second convict was executed in Texasmarking one of the rare multi-execution days in the country.